“Using arts to support Ireland is fine. Ireland supporting the arts is different.

Ambitious capital development is welcome, and the cultural institutions foster access and art in important ways. But there is one thing before any other, and that is effective ongoing support for artists here, now. That requires current funding, and it must mean support that goes directly to artists and arts organisations.”

“And therein lies the essence of the problem regarding both Creative Ireland and the recent cultural funding announcement. In both instances, the suspicion lingers that these are little more than marketing strategies designed to make Ireland’s current political masters look good. If the state simply wished to encourage greater creativity among citizens, perhaps by hosting an annual day devoted to the arts, it could have provided the Arts Council with greater resources. Similarly, the government might have addressed the defects in the national institutions for which it is responsible without calling press conferences or issuing glossy brochures. Ireland’s current taoiseach (prime minister), Leo Varadkar, has regularly been berated for prioritising style over substance, and communication over content. That would appear to be the case with regard to this division of his government. In the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, is creativity mostly being exercised on the culture of spin?”